Stock market crash, Great Depression, 'Box Car Mare'

My name is Marilyn Pulliam Miller I grew up in Fort Scott and married my high school sweetheart, Bob Miller. We lived in Fort Scott 'til 1958 when the Western Insurance Company transferred Bob to Wisconsin as a payroll auditor. We lived in Wisconsin Rapids until 1964 when we purchased a 120 acre farm between the two wee towns of Vesper and Pittsville in central Wisconsin, we named our farm Ironquill and have lived there ever since. I have been writing a column for about six years. I hope you enjoy reading my column as much as I enjoy writing it.

And now I would like to tell you why I named my column "Box Car Mare."

It was the year 1930. The stock market had just crashed the year before, and the Great Depression had begun. The Depression roared through the country like a freight train out of control. It seemed to take on a life of its own. It sunk its teeth into every nook and cranny in this country. Every household was affected. The days became bleaker, and men lost their jobs by the tens of thousands.Things were going from bad to worse. Men were crisscrossing the country looking for work, any kind of work that would give them a few dollars to feed their family. And this is where my story begins. My parents and my sister Darlene, who was three and my brother Earl who was six, were living in Fort Scott. My dad had been looking for work and was finally hired as a telegrapher out in western Kansas close to the town of Cimarron. It was in the fall, and winter would soon be coming on. They hated to leave Fort Scott, but had no choice. My mama was expecting me sometime in February of 193l. They wanted to get moved and settled before I arrived. After arriving in Cimarron, they began looking for a house to rent, but none could be found , at least one that they could afford. The only thing that was available and in their price range, was an old box car that had been converted(at least to some degree) to living quarters. It had no running water and no electricity, and not much of anything else. They moved in with much trepidation, but they were just glad to have a roof over their heads. I try to imagine what it must have been like living in a box car with two small children and another one on the way, with such deplorable living conditions. But my mama was not one to complain. So am sure she took it in stride. I arrived on February 26, 193l. Back in those days, most people could not afford to go to the hospital to have a baby or for that matter for anything. The Doctor made house calls and came out to the house (box car) to deliver me. . So....I was born in a box car!! Some people have been born in a log cabin, me, I was born in an ole box car. We lived there for about a year, when my dad's job was done away with. The whole country was on a downhill spiral. He heard of a job down in Gravette, Arkansas, so again they packed up their belongings and us kids, and headed for Arkansas.We lived there for a year or so. My dad did all sorts of odd jobs. Anything to earn a dollar or two, to feed his family. Finally there weren't even any odd jobs to be found, so once again they packed up their few belongings and headed back to Fort Scott.. My grandparents lived there as well as other relatives. So my mama was glad to get back among family. Times were very tough, but we survived. We made it and we didn't starve. I have never been back to Cimarron. I would like to go sometime, just to see if that ole box car is still around.